Dallas firefighter confirmed killed in plant blast

DALLAS (AP) – The Dallas Fire-Rescue department says one of its off-duty fire captains was killed while helping fight the blaze at the Texas fertilizer plant that exploded in the small town of West.

Dallas Fire-Rescue says in a Thursday statement that Capt. Kenny Harris lived in West and wasn’t on duty when he decided to lend a hand to volunteer firefighters battling the Wednesday night fire at West Fertilizer Co.

The statement says Harris was a 52-year-old married father of three grown sons. The Dallas Fire-Rescue chaplain and other members of department are in West to help comfort his family.

Initial reports had put the number of fatalities from the blast as high as 15, but authorities have since backed away from any total estimate. More than 160 people were hurt.

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